“I will be writing personally to the Federal Health Minister.”

That was the promise made by Member for Farrer and leader of the Liberal Party, Sussan Ley when she visited Haydays last week.

Ms Ley toured the aged care facility with chair Lisa Bowen and staff members Martyn Quinn and Julie Weymouth, to see for herself the upgrades needed for Haydays to retain its accreditation.

Haydays have applied for $5 million funding through the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program, to ensure the facility can remain open.

During their meeting, Ms Ley and Ms Bowen discussed the allocation of the 2024 funding – a residential facility near Bowral was awarded $ 27,500,000 of funding meant to be allocated for rural and remote communities.

As previously reported, the Haydays board – spearheaded by Ms Bowen – has a three-phase development proposal, with plans to add and addition 16 units, and offer dedicated dementia care.

But without completing stage one, those plans are in limbo.

Ageing at home was also discussed.

“A lot of people are waiting 12 months for an aged care assessment,” Ms Ley said.

“5,000 people in Australia have died while on the waiting list.

“That’s why we (the Liberal Party) pushed the government to releasing an additional 83,000 aged care packages.”

Hay Shire Council Mayor Carol Oataway and general manager David Webb also took the opportunity to meet with Ms Ley, and discussed issues related to Hay’s ageing population.

Issues raised by Council included the barriers to employing skilled healthcare workers from overseas, such as delays in visa processing, and the growing waiting lists for local residential care.

According to Council’s briefing paper, Hay needs capital investment to upgrade and future-proof aged care facilities, and increase high-need and dementia-specific placements.

Council also raised the need to tailor policy and regulation to the unique challenges of rural areas.

Ageing in Hay – the figures.

In September 2024 the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development released a report titled ‘Ageing population and aged care in the Hay LGA’.

It states that Hay’s population is ageing and is expected to further grow by 10 percent in the coming two decades.

“This will put strain on local services that support the age care sector such as health, housing and care facilities,” the report said.

“The median age of death for those in Hay is similar to other parts of NSW, with many living well into their 80s.

“This brings challenges as support systems for the elderly need to be adapted or developed in the area as the numbers of people in this age group increase with time.”

“What concerns me is that 25 per cent of Hay’s population is over the age of 65,” Ms Bowen told Ms Ley.

The report also illustrates that more than 60 per cent of Hay’s aged population are on the pension and recommended that any increase in aged care accommodation needs to be affordable. 

Haydays funding denied – what next?

Since Ms Ley’s visit last week, Ms Bowen has been informed that Haydays’ second application for funding for vital works has been unsuccessful.

“I am beyond devastated,” Haydays chair Lisa Bowen said, following the announcement.

“Especially seeing the inequitably distributed funds yet again.

“This time four (aged care) places between them receiving a third of the $300 million.

“I do not understand their thinking in not prioritising those places like Haydays who are gradually becoming not fit for purpose.”

Ms Bowen said she will continue to fight for upgrades to Haydays.

“I’ve been trying to find any other grants or philanthropic funding we might be able to tap into for these much needed refurbishments,” she told The Riverine Grazier.

The 2025 Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the funding round was highly competitive.

The department received a total of 367 applications seeking over $2.4 billion in grant funding – only $300 million was available.

Haydays’ 2024 application to the same funding program for vital upgrades was also unsuccessful, with only generic feedback provided to the grant writers.

This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 24 September 2025.
Related story: Funding vital for Haydays